The seventh edition of Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) kicked off today with talk of bolstering Taiwan’s intellectual property (IP); reaching out to international markets through co-production and exports; and a reassuring message on government support.
Sue Wang, chair of TCCF organizer Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), opened proceedings by first acknowledging the disruption that has rocked the content industries globally over the past year, before talking about how the government agency she heads aims to provide solutions.
“The past few years have been a difficult journey for everyone, littered with many challenges,” Wang said. “At earlier editions of TCCF, we were talking about streaming and the change in consumption habits. Now we face even more changes and revolutions, which have become a given in our industry. When we create, we have to think about IP, licensing and maximizing the IP universe. It’s a challenging journey for everyone, but we will try our best to adapt.”
She then switched to commenting on AI, a big focus in Taiwan, which a major supplier of AI hardware through its world-class semiconductor industry. Also at TCCF, TAICCA is also signing an MOU with Weta FX to position Taiwan as an AI hub for Asia’s content industries. However, in keeping with recent narratives on the topic, she stressed the importance of human involvement in content creation.
“AI has changed all the technology and pipelines we use and is also changing how we define human society,” said Wang. “When we talk about content and culture, we have to ask whether they considered to be valuable in the future, and in turn this forces us to think about what is the quintessential quality of cultural content and what are the elements that cannot be replaced by AI.”
Taiwan’s Minister of Culture Li Yuan then stepped on to the stage to explain how Taiwan’s creative industries are benefitting from a second tranche of $303M (NTD10BN) investment from the National Development Fund (NDF).
Raising a laugh from the audience, Li described how he’d approached the head of the NDF with an “elevator pitch” for the second tranche of funding, which is currently being invested into films, series, comics, publications and animation, as well as streaming platforms and corporate entities involved in content creation.
“Many projects that we could only hope and dream about in the past are now bearing fruitful results and creating a space for Taiwanese content on the international stage,” said Li, adding that Taiwan’s growing involvement in international co-production is another key focus of government support.
Also attending the opening were executives from Weta FM, including CEO Daniel Seah and Chief Technology Officer Kimball Thurston; along with Fumio Yoshimura, CEO of Japanese studio Toei, who is delivering a keynote later today; several top executives from Taiwanese telcos and VFX houses; and representatives of trade offices in Taipei, including France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand and Chile.
TCCF is running November 6-9 at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. In addition to its usual sections – Pitching, Market and Forum – the event will feature startup fundraising pitches, the first ever Spotlight Screenings and a partnership with Golden Horse Awards to present Taiwan Emerging Actors Showcase
Along with the strategic partnership with Weta FX, TAICCA is announcing a new fund dedicated to independent digital game development with Lunta Ventures and a tie-up with IPis Innovation (Do You Still Love Me).
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Content Wave Annual Showcase will feature presentations from four investment funds – Taiwan’s Chunghwa Digital Cultural and Creative Fund, Enjoy Entertainment, Joint Journey Creative, and Momomini Kids Content Fund – which are all co-investing in content with government policy resources.
TCCF’s market section is hosting 107 exhibitors from seven countries and regions: Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, France, and the Philippines. Thailand is making its first appearance with a national pavilion jointly organized by the Creative Economy Agency (CEA), the Thai Animation and Computer Graphics Association (TACGA), and the Thai Association of Boys Love Content (TBLC).
